Former Barcelona Star Samuel Eto'o: Black Coaches 'Seen as 2nd-Class Citizens'

Former Barcelona, Inter Milan and Chelsea star Samuel Eto'o has said black coaches are seen as "second-class citizens" around the sport and don't get the trust they deserve.

The Cameroonian striker, who is still active at the age of 37, gave an interview to Canal+ (h/t Marca) and talked about his future.

He said he may go into coaching but that there are factors working against him and fellow black managers: "Many black former players don't get the coaching license, but there are also many who do have this. There is a lack of trust. That trust doesn't exist, and we are seen as second-class citizens."

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Racism in football has been a constant topic during the 2018-19 campaign following high-profile cases involving Kalidou Koulibaly, Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

But while the focus has mostly been on issues involving fans, the lack of black coaches has long been a problem as well.

Per the Independent's Jonathan Liew, a number of statistics point to the fact that black managers do not get the same opportunities as white coaches in English football.

Sportswriter Sulaiman Folarin shared more comments Eto'o made during the interview, on the need for players to walk out when faced with racist chants:

Napoli manager Carlo Ancelotti discussed taking his players off the pitch following the Koulibaly development:

As Sid Lowe of the Telegraph reported, Eto'o suffered racist abuse during his time with Barcelona, threatening to leave the pitch during a win over Real Zaragoza in 2006.

He played for the Catalans between 2004 and 2009, winning three La Liga titles and two UEFA Champions League trophies. He then moved to Inter in a swap deal involving Zlatan Ibrahimovic and cash, playing a key role in the team's treble-winning 2009-10 campaign.

He later had stints with Chelsea, Everton and Sampdoria before moving to Turkey and Qatar. He currently plays for Qatar SC, a club in the Stars League.